Infographics: The Most (Insanely) Expensive Keywords on Google, Bing

According to WordStream’s recent study of the most expensive keywords in Bing Ads and their 2011 infographic detailing the most expensive keywords in Google AdWords, a lot of people really need help with money and the law. But before we start theorizing about why so many Internet users are seeking council for legal troubles, let’s take a look at the details of WordStream’s reports.

WordStream data scientist Mark Irvine analyzed a sample of over 10 million English keywords in the Bing Keyword Tool, and then grouped them into categories so we could see what the most competitive keywords auctions are in Bing Ads. Basically, they want to see what companies have to pay per click in order to get the top spot in search results.

According to the report, if you want that top placement on Bing’s most expensive search term, “lawyer,” you’ll have to dish out a whopping $109 per click. The next three most expensive keywords are “attorney” ($101.77 per click), “structured settlements” ($78.39), and “DUI” ($69.56). Notice a theme? They all deal with the law.

The results are pretty similar to the Google AdWords study from 2011, which found that the top five most expensive keyword searches were “insurance” ($54.91 per click), “loans” ($44.28), “mortgage” ($47.12), “attorney” ($47.07), and “credit” ($36.06), with Bing’s top keyword, “lawyer,” coming in at number six. It should be noted that since this study was conducted four years ago, those CPCs will likely be much higher today.

Of course, the law isn’t the only thing these topics have in common. As WordStream notes, they all refer to industries that deal with lawsuits, mortgage applications, and server hosting—business that that can afford to spend a lot to acquire a new customer. These industries largely include financing and companies that manage vast sums of money.

If those numbers make you queasy… well, you might want to start investing in content marketing to drive organic, need-based traffic instead of paying an arm and a leg for a single click. Paid content distribution, as well, can often cost less than $0.25 cents a click—43,600 percent cheaper than the top Bing keyword.

For smaller companies that need paid search traffic and just can’t compete with those high CPCs, Google launched its AdWords Premiere SMB Parter Program in 2011 to help small and medium-sized businesses manage their advertising campaigns. On a related note, Google just announced that it’s teaming up with Search Optics, a leading digital marketing provider specializing in automotive marketing.

And for those itching for an updated version of the 2011 Google study, we’ll be keeping an eye on WordStream. The Google report was one of the most popular ones they’ve ever released, so I wouldn’t be surprised if we see a new one soon.

In the mean time, take a gander at their infographic on Bing’s 20 most expensive keywords and their 2011 version of Google’s. Who knew Benjamin Franklin would look so good in a suit?